Adnan al-Sahrawi

Lehbib Ould Ali Ould Said Ould Joumani (1973-), also known as Adnane Abou Walid al-Sahrawi, was a Sahrawi Islamist who served as the head of the Islamic State in the Sahel region of North Africa.

Biography
Lehbib Ould Ali Ould Said Ould Joumani was born in Laayoune, Western Sahara, Spain in 1973, and he witnessed the war between the Polisario Front and Morocco as a child. He fought alongside the Polisario Front before joining the jihadists, becoming a spokesperson for MOJWA under the nom de guerre of "Adnane Abou Walid al-Sahrawi". In 2015, al-Sahrawi swore his allegiance to the Islamic State, and IS acknowledged his pledge of allegiance on 30 October 2016. On 4 October 2017, his militants ambushed Nigerien and US Army troops in Tongo Tongo, Niger, killing 5 Nigerien troops and 4 US troops with 21 losses. The attack in Niger drew US attention to West Africa, which they feared could beocme a breeding ground for a continued IS insurgency.